Miami Lakes and Zoom can help governments meet virtually publicly

The town of Miami Lakes may have become the first municipality in the country last year to allow residents to not just watch, but appear and speak at public meetings from anywhere in the world. They use Zoom, a video communication platform companies have been using as a conferencing solution for years, that transports residents to a flat screen at Town Hall, where they can see the council, but also be seen and heard by the council.

What a concept!

Now, Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid said the tiny town of 31,000 is getting calls from government officials all over the country to find out how they, too, can conduct public meetings remotely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to curb community spread of COVID-19.

The answer is easy: Zoom. And the best news: It costs $500.

“That’s for the entire year,” Cid told Ladra Saturday, two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order to waive Florida statutory requirements that municipal government meetings be held in a specific public place and that a quorum can only be in person. The guv did not waive requirements under the “Government in the Sunshine” laws that require public notice, access to public participation and documentation or minutes.

So, the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County — as well as countless of other towns across Florida — are scrambling to find the technology so they can meet and take care of business, including crisis and emergency management. Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez said Friday that the city was doing everything possible to solve the public access issue. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s spokeswoman, Myriam Marquez, said IT was working on something.

But they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. All they have to do is ask Cid

The way it works is the county or city would get a yearly subscription to Zoom and residents can go on the website and sign in as guests of the host (the town or government of your choice) or download the app, without having to pay, Cid explained. They get in a queue and when the mayor or council member presiding over the meeting asks the clerk if there is anybody to speak on that item, the callers are heard in the order they called.

“And you get your three minutes,” Cid said.

It’s genius! Not that a lot of people have used it at Miami Lakes — maybe twice or three times, Cid said — but Ladra can see where this becomes a fantastic new way for people who live far from County Hall or who have to work and can’t leave their place of business to participate in their county government’s decisions. People could literally participate from anywhere.

Why didn’t anybody think of this before? Miami Lakes has been doing it for a year. Coral Gables and Hallandale just started, Cid told Ladra. “Everybody now is jumping on board.”

In fact, Zoom has seen a jump in users since the pandemic forced many people inside and to work from home. It may become commonplace in a coupe of months.

Cid said Miami Lakes might start using it for permitting and plans reviews, where architects can stay in their offices and go over plans with city officials. They’re not ready for that just yet, but on Monday, they will start doing all building functions online via email and downloads. They are going to set up a drop box for plans.

The county should have been doing the video conferencing already, years ago. Especially since County Hall meetings downtown are so far from people in West Kendall, South Dade or even Miami Lakes. Zoom has been available since 2011.

“This could be a huge game-changing tool,” Cid said, assuming that governments keep it after the current COVID-19 crisp. “It’s an opportunity for governments to do something to benefit the community in the long run.”

Shhhhhh. Don’t let the county know that. They might not get it.

But there’s really no excuse for every city, town and village in Miami-Dade to get Zoom. It costs $500 for the year.

coronavirus, COVID-19, Miami Lakes

Miami Lakes and Zoom can help governments meet virtually publicly added by Ladra on March 22, 2020
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